1. Email

2. EMAIL
 Most common form of communication in the workplace
 Your employer can access your work email if saved on the
company’s server(s)
 Legal records (Guidelines, PG. 81-83)
 Know:
 Uses (PG. 131)
 Business vs. Personal
 Guidelines

3. EMAIL: BUINESS vs. PERSONAL
 Cannot write to a customer or employer the way you would to
a friend
 Representing more than just yourself and your preferences in
an email
 Business email has to consider the impact it will have on your
company, et al.
 Information may have to be researched
 Review before sending

4. Email as Legal Records
 Employers have the right to monitor internal email systems.
 Any email written at work can be
copied, archived, forwarded, and intercepted.
 You can be fired for writing an abusive or angry email!
 Many companies may have disclaimers about email to
prevent legal action against the company

5. Guidelines for Using Email on the
Job
 Make sure your email is confidential and ethical
 Make sure your email is easy to read
 Observe the rules of “netiquette”
 Adopt a professional business style
 Respect your international readers
 Ensure that your email is safe and secure

6. When Not to Use Email
 When you need a paper trail
 Applying for a job
 Make a new business contact, or welcome a new client –
Formal Letter instead
 Acknowledging a business gift – Send a handwritten note
 Never send email in the place of a letter or type of legal
notification.

7. Instant
Messages

8. Instant Messages (IM)
 A professional IM is somewhere between a phone call and an
email, or a chat with a colleague in the hallway.
 Provide written records of conversations
 90% of businesses have or will use IMs
 Allows communication with co-workers and managers in the
same office, remote sites or around the globe.

9. When to Use IM (vs. Email)
 How quickly does the message need to be sent/received?
 How long/complex is my message?
 Does my message require more than a few brief back-and-
forth communications?

10. Guidelines for Using IM in the
Workplace
 Stay connected
 Keep messages short
 Write about one topic at a time
 Avoid unfamiliar abbreviations
 Make sure messages are professional
 Organize your contact (buddy) list into separate groups
 Don’t use to send sensitive/confidential information
 Watch for viruses
 Safeguard the privacy of your contact list